UEFA Vice-President, Marius Lefkaritis, and UEFA CEO Lars-Christer Olsson, joined the OFC Strategic Workshop in Bora Bora on its third day.
Lefkaritis and Christer-Olsson expressed a willingness to assist OFC in developing technically and improving infrastructure and illustrated UEFA’s track record of helping other confederations and member associations improve.
Lefkaritis said UEFA had established relationships with CONMEBOL, AFC (through Vision Asia), and CAF and a relationship with OFC was desirable. He said UEFA had a long established track record of assisting emerging nations in the development of the game.
“With the break-up of the USSR and the so-called Socialist countries in the late 1980’s, early 1990’s, eleven new national associations emerged. UEFA identified the needs of each individual organisation and helped implement tailor-made development programmes to encourage improvement in education and infrastructure.”
UEFA’s relationship with CONMEBOL included the World Club Cup clash between the champions of each confederation and revenue had been gathered and split and invested where necessary.
AFC received administrative guidance and technical education in different member associations. UEFA had implemented an “adoption” scheme in CAF, where member associations of similar size from both confederations co-operated together in areas of administration and technical to learn from each other.
OFC General Secretary, Tai Nicholas, said UEFA had always illustrated an enthusiasm to be involved in technical development within the OFC, but that OFC had not been in a structural position to participate in such a relationship.
Christer-Olsson said the impact of such relationships depended upon the realisation that it was not a one way communication but an exchange of views.